Chapter 109: Zhou Xie Got on His Knees and Begged for It part 1
Wen Rong’s eyelid twitched, and a bizarre shiver ran through his body.
It felt incredibly unreal.
Perhaps because the orphanage he grew up in had long been buried under an earthquake, while the orphanage in this world existed somewhere between the familiar and the strange.
In the silence, his phone screen lit up with the name “Zhou Xie.”
Wen Rong picked up the call. Zhou Xie cut straight to the chase. “Right now, most people online are hoping you’ll go back to handle the funeral arrangements.”
Wen Rong frowned. “Do you know what kind of accident it was?”
“They’re saying it was a fire. Three dead, and one is currently in the hospital.” Zhou Xie paused. “The hospitals in the Outer District can’t save dying people. You might as well consider all four resident social workers of the orphanage dead.”
Wen Rong was startled. “What do you mean ‘can’t save’?”
“…You sound like someone who has never lived in the Outer District.”
Wen Rong froze for a moment, and the System’s voice rang in his mind.
【Host, the Outer District is essentially a slum. There are basically no professional doctors there.】
If there were no doctors, what would happen to the person who wasn’t dead yet?
Wen Rong said urgently, “Can that person still be saved? Transfer them to the nearest hospital. I’ll pay for it.”
Zhou Xie scoffed coldly. “I knew you would say that. I’ve already had an ambulance from the nearest hospital go pick them up. The doctors are our people.”
“But don’t get your hopes up. The incident happened last night. It’s been over twelve hours. That girl has already missed the golden window for resuscitation.”
Wen Rong gave a low “Mmh” and hung up the phone.
The trees were growing fast. It hadn’t been long, yet the buds had already unfurled into lush greenery, even more flourishing than when he had first enrolled.
When the wind blew, the leaves rustled with a swish-swish sound.
He stood by the window letting the wind blow for a while before dragging his complicated emotions to search for news online.
His intention was to find out the current situation of the orphanage, but he didn’t see any reports on the accident itself. Instead, the hashtag #WenRongOrphanageAccident# had climbed the trending search list, as if he were the culprit behind the disaster.
Clicking into the tags, countless marketing accounts had posted articles:
[Fire Breaks Out at Wen Rong’s Orphanage]
[If Wen Rong Has a Shred of Conscience, He Should Go Back and Handle the Funeral Affairs for the Social Workers]
[He Made So Much Money at the Academy, Surely It’s Not Too Much to Ask Him to Share Some as Consolation Money for the Families]
Wen Rong was somewhat surprised. It seemed as if the deaths weren’t the main issue; his attitude was. He couldn’t help but ask, “Brother, why do they think I need to do these things?”
The System didn’t know how to answer Wen Rong and asked back: 【Does the Host not want to go back?】
“…”
Now it was Wen Rong’s turn to be unable to answer.
When the question was truly placed in front of him, he was surprised to find that his answer was still “No.”
“President Zhou said he hopes I’ll go back and take a look.”
【But what are your thoughts?】
“I…”
In the orphanage where Wen Rong was, many children learned bad habits from a young age. At dinner time, there were always a few who couldn’t be found. The director said they were at the arcade, the internet cafe, the bar…
At first, Wen Rong didn’t understand why they went to places that cost money. Later, when he went far away to attend high school, he finally understood the feeling of preferring to stay outside rather than return to the orphanage.
The place where one grew up was also the place where the nightmares began.
They couldn’t find the parents they should hate, so they could only hate the orphanage.
Wen Rong thought that the only difference between him and them lay in the method of escape they chose.
“I don’t have to go back, right?”
【Host needs to consider public opinion online right now. After all, netizens hope you will return.】
Wen Rong thought for a moment and made a decision. After deducting necessary living expenses, the money in his bank card could spare about 400,000. He would pay the medical bills for the survivor first, pay for the funerals of the other three, and distribute the remaining money to the families of the social workers.
Just as he made up his mind, he received a second call from Zhou Xie.
“You haven’t told me when you’re returning to the Outer District. I’ll arrange a car for you.”
Wen Rong: “I have some money on hand. Can you help me give it to them? For medical bills, funeral costs, and consolation money.”
Zhou Xie: “Why are you giving money to the families?”
“Their families must be very sad. If I can give a little, it helps.”
“This is not your responsibility.”
“But online…”
“Don’t be held hostage by those marketing accounts online. Do you know how many of them are traps set specifically for you by Wang Sichen? If you follow those news reports, everyone’s moral standards for you will only get higher and higher. In the future, you’ll be increasingly unable to satisfy them.”
He wouldn’t let him give money, yet he asked when he was leaving for the Outer District. Wen Rong felt that Zhou Xie was actually like many people online, believing him to be a person of extremely high moral character.
Wen Rong took a deep breath, and suddenly felt a sense of relief.
He seemed to know himself better now.
His flaws.
His selfishness.
Wen Rong walked a circle around the room, letting the tension in his body dissipate, before speaking. “I’m not being held hostage. Because I don’t want to go back, I want to help them from a distance instead.”
Zhou Xie paused. “You…”
His tone shifted. “The orphanage employees are paid by the government, so their death benefits should also be paid by the government. If you have money, I’ll donate it directly into the orphanage through official channels.”
“Okay.”
The call was about to end. Just as Wen Rong was preparing to hang up, Zhou Xie shouted from the other end, “Wen Rong.”
“Hm?”
“If you don’t want to go, I can handle the online public opinion for you. But next time you discuss things with me, just say whatever opinion you have directly. Don’t hesitate. Tell me straight so I can make arrangements.”
“…”
“Give us—people who want your sympathy—a chance to show off.”
Wen Rong sensed the “ingratiation” in Zhou Xie’s words, and his mood became slightly complicated. “Thank you.”
“No need to be polite. I owed you anyway.”
Zhou Xie hung up the phone. Wen Rong turned off his screen; the cracks from where it had been dropped became even more obvious.
He seemed to understand the meaning of “best friends in the world” that Zhou Xie had spoken of—having conflicts, yet being compelled to stay connected.
This inexplicable entanglement also existed between him and Zhou Xie.
After the Project Seminar, there was the Federal University Student Tennis League. As the host venue for this year’s finals, the Student Council was responsible for coordinating with the organizers.
The Principal had been hospitalized recently, so the matter fell directly onto Lin Jinghang’s head.
Lin Jinghang looked at the endless stream of messages in the Black Pigeon system. For a moment, he regretted it; he shouldn’t have become this Student Council President.
He thought it was such an awesome position, but it turned out he was just a beast of burden, busy running around like a headless fly.
“Hey, handle all the messages on my account.”
Lin Jinghang dumped the work on the person next to him, considering his job done. He fished his car keys out of his pocket, spun them on his fingertip, and strolled leisurely toward the parking lot.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of pretty girls would come to the night club today. If it was the same as the last few days, it would be boring. The ones who were too eager were also boring. He hoped for a pure girl entering a night club for the first time.
A bit dowdy, wearing glasses…
Ideally, someone who looked exceptionally beautiful after taking off the glasses.
Thinking of this, Lin Jinghang’s mood improved completely. He pressed down on the pedal, and the car’s speed soared.
However, as he passed the library, he caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of his eye. In two or three seconds, they were left completely behind the car, visible only as a tiny shadow in the rearview mirror.
Skrrrt—
📖 Advance Access: Complete Novel
- Option 1: Note your email on PayPal/Ko-fi.
- Option 2: Email proof to beezzzreads@gmail.com.
- Option 3: Comment below.
Recommended Reads
